Women conductors?

Great article in The New York Times yesterday about women conductors, and particularly Marin Alsop. I had an opportunity to work at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz last year, but couldn’t make the move. She’s a tremendous force, and a wonderful conductor and innovator in the field dominated by men.

THE conductor Marin Alsop has strong artistic convictions that she puts into practice and expounds on readily. But there is one aspect of her career that she has been ambivalent about discussing: Ms. Alsop is a notable woman in a field that for whatever reasons continues to be dominated by men.

In September Ms. Alsop, 51, began her tenure as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, making her the first woman to assume the leadership of a major American orchestra. When I, along with other reporters and critics, made this point in covering her appointment and, more recently, the concerts that commenced her directorship, there were howls of protest from loyal supporters of JoAnn Falletta, the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999. But with all due respect to Ms. Falletta and her adventurous orchestra, from an industry perspective — in terms of budget, location, schedule, touring, recording and other factors — the Baltimore Symphony is generally viewed as a major American orchestra while the Buffalo Philharmonic, however fine, is not quite.

Whatever the case, Ms. Alsop’s appointment is a landmark. It is certainly being treated that way by the international news media, not to mention the marketing department of the Baltimore Symphony, which has mounted a promotional campaign inviting music lovers to join the “maestra” as she makes history.